Mind The Gap

America’s British population has taken to the web to voice its displeasure at news that U.S. candy giant Hershey has successfully blocked our much loved U.K.-produced chocolate from being exported to the land of the free.

Helen Mirren, Colin Firth, Carey Mulligan Earn Oscar Nods

Dame Helen Mirrenmay have been snubbed by the BAFTAs, but this morning, the British icon was announced as a nominee for Best Actress at the Oscars. Emily Blunt wasn’t so lucky: the star of The Young Victoria goose-egged at the BAFTAs, and she was overlooked by the Motion Picture Academy as well. (The Young Victoria was nominated for three technical awards, however.)

Young British star Carey Mulliganwasnominated for a BAFTA this year, and she’s also up for a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in An Education. Doctor Who fans know Mulligan as Sally Sparrow in Steven Moffat‘s wonderful Season 3 episode, “Blink”. As you can see from this clip, she looked very different back then:

Here’s the dark-haired Mulligan in An Education:

Neither Mirren or Mulligan really has a shot at winning: all indicators point to Sandra Bullock or Meryl Streep taking home the coveted Best Actress award.

Another British Oscar nominee this year is Colin Firth, who’s up for Best Actor for his performance as a grieving gay professor in Tom Ford‘s A Single Man. A couple months ago, Anglophenia contributor Tom Brook interviewed Firth about the acclaim he’s received for the role. You can watch the interview below.

Again, the nomination is the award for Firth: Best Actor seems to be down to a Jeff Bridges vs. George Clooney tussle, with the beloved Bridges having a significant edge.

Kevin Wicks

Kevin Wicks founded BBCAmerica.com's Anglophenia blog back in 2005 and has been translating British culture for an American audience ever since. While not British himself - he was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri - he once received inordinate hospitality in London for sharing the name of a dead but beloved EastEnders character. His Anglophilia stems from a high school love of Morrissey, whom he calls his "gateway drug" into British culture.

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America’s British population has taken to the web to voice its displeasure at news that U.S. candy giant Hershey has successfully blocked our much loved U.K.-produced chocolate from being exported to the land of the free.